A little more about E+H and Me

by Chuck AllenMarch 16, 2018

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably have seen most of this text already. I thought it would be a good post to open the new website and blog with.

I've always loved art. In high school I was the guy whose desk everyone passed to see what I had made that day. My favorite unit in art class was always pottery. I always thought "When I grow up I will revisit this." About 3 or 4 years ago, I found a pottery class offered through the city I could take. I figured "I'm grown up, I'd better do it if I'm going to." I took to it quickly again and it just took off. I liked pushing the limits and doing things not many others were doing. I liked the idea of mixed media in pottery because it's so unique. Anything that is incorporated in the piece has to be added after it's completely fired since most things would burn off in the kiln or otherwise disrupt the piece. I did a piece with a wood handle, and one with a paracord wrap and handle. A friend saw the paracord piece and said "You know what would be cool on that? Leather!" YES!!! This picture represents that idea and my transition to leather working and the inspiration behind the name: earth for the clay used in pottery and the hide of an animal that becomes the leather. After investing in the tools and knowledge required to complete this piece I kept making things for myself. Eventually as with pottery, I was making things to sell. Through the relatively short time I've been back to making, I've been honored by people gushing over my work. It's validating that I'm going in the right direction. I'm truly thankful I get to do what I enjoy, even part time. I have you all to thank for that. So thank you. I hope I can honor you as well.

I know you have lots of options when it comes to purchasing high quality leather goods. Hopefully getting to know me better will help you understand what goes into my products. Often, you're buying a story as much as you're buying a product. My hope is that my story can be a part of yours going forward and that my work can empower you to do great things. My plan is to update this blog about once a week and go deeper into the philosophy of Earth and Hide to give you an opportunity to get to know me a little more.